Arrangements & Rearrangements
by Zobie91
Summary: Sirius is only 3, but his mother already has his whole life planned out for him. OneShot. R&R!


**A/N- One day I was watching _Pride and Prejudice_ and that's where I got the idea that Walburga Black, (being as old fashioned as she is) would probably want to know, and to choose exactly who her sons were marrying. I am in no way comparing Mrs Bennet to Mrs Black, only in the sense that they both wanted their children to marry well. **

**The main POV is from Sirius, and the Blacks, but it changes to Remus at the end, so I hope it isn't too confusing. I just needed someone else to tell that part of the story. I hope its ok =)**

Orion Black was sitting in his velvet, winged armchair in his study. He was busy reading trough several important letters that he had received from the Ministry earlier that morning, when there was a loud knock on the door.

'Enter.' he said in a deep, low voice, and he neatly folded up his letters and tucked them into his desk draw.

A tall, rather large woman entered the room. Her thick black hair was tied in a tight knot on top of her head, she was wearing dark green robes with a wand sticking out of one pocket, and in her hand she held a lose roll of parchment.

'Mr Black, I have news from the Greengrass's,' said Mrs Walburga Black excitedly, 'They've just had a baby girl, Velma.'

'And?' asked Mr Black showing no real interest in the thing that his wife had interrupted him for.

'Well,' she said in exasperation at her husband's lack of enthusiasm, 'The Greengrass's are of a very respectable lineage, and Velma will make a very respectable wife some day.'

'And what dose that have to do with us?'

'Oh Mr Black!' annoyance now rang in her tone, 'She must marry one of our sons!' she started to wring her hand together and she looked rather flustered, 'Respectable young girls are very hard to come by, and unions are very quickly made. My brother, Cygnus has already made arrangements with the Lestrange's, Malfoy's and Rosier's for his daughters.' She looked up at her husband who was staring out of his study window, 'If we don't hurry up there may not be any respectable girls left for Sirius and Regulus. I couldn't stand the shame of having them marry any girl less than Pure- blood status.'

Mr Black got up and started pacing around his study, a look of deep thought upon his face. His wife watched him as he walked. 'So,' he said finally, 'you want me to make an offer to the Greengrass's?'

'Yes, yes, of course I do.' replied his wife impatiently.

'You know my thoughts on arranged marriages.' This wasn't a question he asked; it was a statement. His parents had forced him into his own marriage, and his wife knew perfectly well that he wasn't happy with it, not that she cared. He did not want his son's to be forced into marriage, but then again he didn't want them marring just any girl they fancied.

He let out a deep sigh; 'I'll take Sirius to see them tomorrow.'

'Oh thank you Mr Black, thank you.' And the witch bustled out of the room closing the door behind her. She couldn't have been happier.

The wizard sat back in his chair and let out a great sigh. His eldest son was only three years old, but already he would have his whole future planned out for him.

oOo

Next morning was very stressful for Mrs Black. She was getting absolutely no help from her husband in getting ready to go out, so she was left to struggle with an awkward toddler, who had no idea of the importance of today, and would have much rather been at play, than standing whilst she tried to make him look presentable.

'Come on now Sirius. We've got to look smart.' said Mrs Black, trying to put a comb through her sons hair, but the little boy kept fidgeting, and was making things worse.

'Where we going?' Sirius wined, trying to escape from his mothers grip, and getting himself tangled in the green robes his mother had forced him into. He toppled over backwards and landed with a small thud on the floor.

'Oh for heaven sake Sirius!' the witch shouted, 'Get up off the floor you useless child. Who will ever marry you like this!'

Sirius was far too young to understand anything that was going on, but the harsh tone in his mothers voice made him cry.

Mrs Black groaned in frustration and anger. She walked away from the boy who was still crying on the floor. 'Kreacher?' she shouted, 'Kreacher where are you, you useless Elf?'

'I'm here Mistress.' said the cackely voice of the House Elf, who peered around the door to the bedroom.

'Oh good,' said Mrs Black sounding slightly relieved. 'I want you to go and sort out that child,' she said pointing at Sirius, 'I want him properly dressed and looking smart.'

'Yes Mistress' said the Elf, bowing.

'And make him stop crying,' she added, putting her hand over her ears as she left the room. 'Now,' she muttered to her self, 'I need to get Regulus, and where on earth has my husband got to?'

oOo

It was eleven years later. Sirius was sitting in a carriage upon the Hogwarts Express, which was taking him and his three best friends; James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew to start their fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They were busily filling each other in on things they had done over the holidays.

Sirius had had a less than enjoyable holiday. He had spent most of it arguing with his mother. -

_It had been many years since his mother and father had taken him to the Greengrass Manor House. They had gone to persuade Mr and Mrs Greengrass in the union of himself and their newborn baby daughter, Velma. _

_Even though Sirius had only been three when they went, and he hadn't thought about that day in many, many years, he could re-count a very vivid account of the day. _

_He could remember walking up the driveway of their Irish countryside home, and looking around him at the vast, luscious green fields that surrounded their house in every direction. _

_The family had welcomed them most graciously in to their home, and they had been given a grand tour of the house and grounds before getting down to "business". _

_He was stood in the middle of a large room facing a group of witches and wizards his mother and father standing a little way away in a corner. _

_He felt like he was being judged. The witches and wizards around him were all muttering to each other. Some of them even walked slowly around him, taking every little detail. They poked and prodded him; asked him endless questions that he was to young to understand, and finally they went off into a corner to come up with a verdict. _

_He stood nervously waiting, watching them come up with their decision. A few minutes passed, but then the tall red haired witch, who was Mrs Greengrass, broke away and walked over towards him. She crouched down next to him, and said just loud enough so his parents could hear, 'He will do.' _

_Mrs Black was ecstatic with the news, and she ran up to him and hugged him tightly. 'Thank you.' She repeated over and over again, shaking hands with each member of the Greengrass family, who nodded curtly in return. _

_Then finally they were shown to the room where their daughter was sleeping. Mrs Greengrass led them in, and walked over with Sirius to her cot. _

_She was so tiny. Only her head, which was covered with thick black hair, and her tiny little hand that was curled around the top of the blankets, were visible; the rest of her was wrapped in sunshine yellow blankets. _

'_Isn't she beautiful?' cooed Mrs Black, who was looking at her over his shoulder. _

_Sirius didn't know what he thought. _

- Now, eleven years later, he would meet her again.

He had barely been home for the summer holidays for five minutes when his mother came up to him, and told him that Velma would be starting at Hogwarts this September, and reminded him of their arranged union.

Sirius was furious. He did not want to have to marry this girl. The both of them argued about it for weeks, however she was still so determined to see them go through with it. She spent hours going over ways to glitch the fact that he was a Gryffindor. She even started threatening him with things that she would do if he didn't end up marrying her, but no matter what she said, he would not be persuaded to marry some girl, just because she wanted him to.

oOo

'Wow.' said James, surprise in his voice, 'I never knew people still did the arranged marriage thing anymore.'

'Most people don't.' explained Sirius, 'Only a few Pure- blood families, such as my own, still do it. It's to ensure that the pure blood line doesn't run out.'

'Hmm,' said Remus thoughtfully, 'I never knew that.'

'Well that's because it's a tradition that was given up by most witches and wizards centuries ago.' The others laughed slightly at this.

'I bet that even though both your parents are pure- bloods,' said Sirius, turning to James, 'that neither of them were forced into marriage.'

'Definitely not!' exclaimed James, 'It just turned out that way I guess. My parents got married because they loved each other. Neither of them would marry just to carry on the pure line. They don't care about blood status.'

'And that's the way it should be!' said Remus.

The others nodded in agreement.

'I take it that you don't intend to marry this girl, then?' James asked, smiling at his friend.

'Never!' said Sirius firmly, 'Not even if she was the most kind, most beautiful, most perfect girl for me, I would never marry any woman who my mother has deemed marriable.'

There was a few moments silence.

'Anyway,' Sirius continued, 'I'll bet any amount of money that she'll be sorted into Slytherin, and my mother has almost certainly neglected to tell her family that I'm a Gryffindor, so when she finds out, she probably wont want to marry me anyway.'

The others laughed slightly, knowing it to be probably true.

'So,' said Peter, a little confused look upon his face, 'you have a choice whether or not you marry this girl?'

'Of course I do.' Said Sirius, 'I mean it's not like they made us make an Unbreakable Vow, or any thing.' A brief flutter of fear passed over Sirius's face, 'At least I don't remember them making us.'

'I'm sure they wouldn't mate.' said James consolingly.

'You have no idea what my mother _would do_, to ensure she gets her own way.'

James didn't say anything. Over the last three years, Sirius had told him things about his parents that he found hard to believe, but now he was beginning to thing that nothing would surprise him anymore.

'What happens if you don't marry her?' Remus asked.

'Oh nothing deadly serious.' explained Sirius, 'My cousin, Andromeda was supposed to marry this Evan Rosier bloke. A pure blood, Slytherin, who left a few years before we came to Hogwarts, I think. Anyway,' he continued, 'She's married muggle- born, Ted Tonks now.'

'Oh, that can't be good.' Said Peter.

'Her family has disowned her, and my mother's blasted her off the family tree, as she has done with all the other "traitors".' he said, sketching quotation marks around the word with his fingers. 'Every time our family produces a half decent witch or wizard, they get blasted from our tree.'

'Have you been blasted off then?' James asked with a slight worried look upon his face.

'No, not yet.' said Sirius calmly, 'But it's only a matter of time.'

'How about your brother Regulus, who does he have to marry?' asked Peter.

'A sure to be Slytherin girl, Roxanne Zabini, I think.' replied Sirius, in a "like I care" sort of tone.

'You think?' questioned Remus.

'Yeh well,' Sirius sighed, resigned to the fact that he was going to have to explain, 'my parents spent nearly a year going around different families trying to persuade them into the arrange marriage thing; and, I don't know-' he ran his hand through his hair trying to think, '-I think in the end they managed to persuade the Zabini's into it, but it took them a long time, and I think a lot of bribery.'

'Wow, your parents are really serious about arranged marriages.' exclaimed James, with a look of astonishment on his face.

'Well as I said, you have no idea what my mother will do to get her own way.'

The others looked at each other.

'I don't know how much longer I can stand that woman, but if I have another summer like this one, then, then-' Sirius paused for a moment trying to think what to say, '- I can't stay there.' he said softly, bitterness in his tone, 'I wont stay there!'

oOoOo

23 years later

Remus was sitting at the end of his bed, his head in his hands. In a few hours time he was supposed to be getting married, however Remus was having serious forebodings about it.

Was he making a grave mistake, and doing it against his better judgement? He was sure he would come to regret it in the future. He was sure that if he married Nymphadora Tonks that it would make her as much of an outcast as he was.

All his life he had been shunned about, unable to get a job, because of what he was. Many people couldn't even talk to him when they found out about his affliction, and even her own parents were disgusted that their only daughter had chosen to marry a werewolf.

He was too old for her, too poor, and far too dangerous!

What sort of life was that?

Remus let out a deep sight. He wished Sirius or James were here to talk to. They had always had good advice, and no matter how bad he was feeling in himself they had always given him courage.

He thought back to the day that James married Lily. He had never seen James so happy.

James had fancied Lily for many years, and had strived so hard to get her to go out with him, but Lily had pushed him away every time. Lily had dislike James very much for most of the time they had spent together at school. She saw James as an arrogant toe rag, who enjoyed getting into trouble, however in their seventh year James calmed down considerably, and she had finally gave into him.

It had taken Lily a long time to come round to her true feeling for James, but Remus had somehow always known that she would in the end, and that she and James would some day get married. And he had been right.

Then there was his other best friend Sirius.

Both Sirius and his brother had had their marriages arranged for them. Remus was sure that if Regulus had lived that he would have married Roxanne Zabini. Regulus had never been the one to disappoint or disobey his parent's wishes; however Sirius had never had any intension of marrying Velma Greengrass.

At sixteen Sirius had run away from home, and had gone to live with James. Sirius had spent many years arguing with his mother about it. She was so determined to see them united; however Sirius was having none of it.

Sirius wanted to be free to live his life how he wanted to, and nothing or no one was going to stop him. Sirius was disowned from his family, not that he cared very much.

He was free.

Sirius had never got married or truly fallen in love, but he had always been able to get whichever girl he wanted, and get them he did.

Remus had never seen Sirius so happy than the day he had been best man at Lily and James's wedding, and the day that they asked him to be their son, Harry's Godfather. He didn't need his own family, because he had already got one with Lily, James and Harry, and it suited him just fine.

However Sirius, James, and Lily were all dead. Everyone he had ever truly loved were gone, and now this young woman who loved him just the way he was wanted his hand in marriage.

Just the way he was...

She didn't care that he was a werewolf, she didn't care that he was older than her and that he was poor with nothing to offer her. All that she cared about was him. Just the way he was.

Remus blinked tears out of his eyes.

She, unlike any other woman wanted to marry him.

Remus no longer tried to stifle his tears he just let them flow.

He loved her. He loved her so much.

* * *

**A/N- Too confusing? R&R to let me know, or just to say how you liked it lol. Toodles ~x~**


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